This is Followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims are monotheistic and worship one, all-knowing God, who in Arabic is known as Allah. Followers of Islam aim to live a life of complete submission to Allah. They believe that nothing can happen without Allah's permission, but humans have free will. The belief that "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God" is central to Islam. This phrase, written in Arabic, is often prominently featured in architecture and a range of objects, including the Qur'an, Islam's holy book of divine revelations.

1. Islamic Civilization

2. Before Islam…

3. Before Islam…
•The Arabian peninsula is the setting
for the birth of Islam
•This area is comprised mostly of
deserts

4. Before Islam…
•Before the development of Islam most
ancient Arabs were Bedouins, or
nomadic tribes
•Practiced polytheism & worshipped
pagan idols

5. Before Islam…
•The religious center for Arab
polytheists was a small temple
called Ka’aba in the city of Mecca
•Arabs made an annual journey to
worship at the Ka’aba

6. A New Faith

7. •Prophet/Founder:
•Muhammad, a 7th
century Arab (born
in Mecca)
•Experienced a
revelation from
Allah (Arab word for God) while
meditating
A New Faith

8. A New Faith
•The Revelation:
•Allah called for Muhammad to be
the apostle of the one true God
•Told him to “rise & warn” his
people about divine judgment
•Islam = “submission to the will of Allah”
•Muslim = Follower (“one who has
submitted”)

9. Opposition &
Muhammad’s Return

10. Opposition to Islam
•Wealthy merchants feared that
monotheistic worship would end
the annual pilgrimage to Mecca
• Why?
•Feared that they would lose
profits

11. Opposition to Islam
•Threatened, Muhammad fled to the
city of Medina
•His departure is known as the
Hijrah (AD 622)
•Marks the beginning of the Muslim
calendar

12. Muhammad’s Return
•In Medina Muhammad gained
many followers
•In 630 AD Muhammad returned to
Mecca & reclaimed the city
•Most Meccans converted to Islam at
this time

13. Links to Judaism &
Christianity

14. Links to Judaism & Christianity
•Allah is believed to be the same God
that is worshipped in Christianity &
Judaism (monotheistic!)
•Muslims view Jesus as a prophet, not
the son of God
•All 3 believed in heaven & a day of
judgment & trace their descendants to
Abraham…

15. Abraham’s Genealogy
ABRAHAM SARAH
HAGAR
Isaac
Esau
Jacob
12 Tribes of
Israel
Ishmael
12 Arabian
Tribes

16. Beliefs, Practices and
Values

17. Beliefs & Practices
•Holy Book: Quran (Koran):
written in Arabic; believed to
contain God’s message as revealed
to Muhammad

18. Condemns:
Murder
Stealing
Lying
Adultery
Values: Submit to God (Allah)
Honor parents
Be kind to neighbors
Protect widows and orphans
Give to the poor
Forbids:
Gambling
Pork
Alcohol
Regulates:
Marriage
Divorce
Inheritance
Business
Endorses:
Polygamy
Slavery
Jihad
The Quran

19. •Shari’ah:
•Islamic Law
(regulates family life, moral
conduct,
business/community life)
•5 Pillars of Islam:
•The religious duties of every
Muslim – demonstrate submission
to the will of god
Beliefs & Practices

20. 5 Pillars of Islam
1. Shahadah (expression of faith): “There
is no God but Allah & Muhammad
is the messenger of God”
2. Salah: the requirement to pray 5
times a day at fixed times, facing
Mecca

22. 5 Pillars of Islam
3. Zakat: charity (i.e. giving to the poor)
4. Sawm: Fasting during daylight
hours during the month of
Ramadan (month Quran was revealed to
Muhammad)
5. Hajj: Make a pilgrimage, or hajj
to Mecca, at least once in a
lifetime

26. P
i
l
Pilgrims On
The Road to
And Camped
Outside of Mecca

28. Spread of Islam

29. •After
Muhammad’s
death, a
prominent group
of Muslims met
& chose a new type
of leader called a
caliph, meaning
“successor”
Spread of Islam

30. •The First Caliph
was Muhammad’s
father-in-law &
close friend, Abu
Bakr
•Worked to protect
& spread Islam
Spread of Islam

31. Spread of Islam
•Later, Arab armies swept into the
Byzantine & Persian empires
(Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Persia &
Egypt)
•Believed they had a religious duty
to spread Islam; Jihad

32. Spread of Islam
•Islam spread to borders of India &
China in the east and North Africa
and Spain in the west
•Frankish leader Charles Martel
stopped the Muslims at the Battle
of Tours in France in 732AD
•Halts the spread of Islam into
Western Europe

34. Sunnis v. Shiites
•After a dispute over who the next
caliphate should be, there was a
split in
Islam
•Sunnis
v. Shiites

35. Sunnis v. Shiites
•Sunnis:
•Majority of Muslims
•Believe that the caliph is a leader,
not a religious authority
•Any devout leader could serve with
the acceptance of the people

36. Sunnis v. Shiites
•Shiites:
•Believe that the caliph should be a
descendant of Muhammad
• Less than 10% of Muslims worldwide – Iran,
Southern Iraq, Azerbaijan & Southern Lebanon